Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus four players are on the 60-DAY IL


28 players are on the MLB ACTIVE LIST, plus seven are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, two are on the 10-DAY IL, and three are on the 15-DAY IL


Last updated 9-22-20239
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 14
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Daniel Palencia
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Marcus Stroman
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 6
Nico Hoerner
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom
* Jared Young

OUTFIELDERS: 6
* Cody Bellinger
Alexander Canario
* Pete Crow-Armstrong
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman

OPTIONED: 7
Keven Alcantara, OF 
Ben Brown, P  
Brennen Davis, OF 
Jeremiah Estrada, P
Caleb Kilian, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Michael Rucker, P

10-DAY IL: 2
Jeimer Candelario, 1B
Nick Madrigal, INF

15-DAY IL: 3
Adbert Alzolay, P
Brad Boxberger, P 
Michael Fulmer, P 

60-DAY IL: 4
Nick Burdi, P
Codi Heuer, P
* Brandon Hughes, P
Ethan Roberts, P
 


Minor League Rosters

Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Cubs Instructs

Hope Leads the Way at Instructs

Zyhir Hope doubled, walked twice, and scored two runs, and five pitchers combined to hurl a two-hitter (both hits by Geuri Lubo) with nine strikeouts, as the Cubs "Red Squad" defeated the Cubs "Blue Squad" 5-1 in Arizona Instructional League intrasquad game action Tuesday morning at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ.   

The game was pre-planned as a seven inning affair, and the DH was not used (each team played with an eight-man batting order). 

Bowser and Preciado Go Deep at Sloan

Drew Bowser (solo blast) and Reggie Preciado (two-run bomb) launched home runs onto the LF berm with two outs in the bottom of the 1st inning to give the Cubs an early 3-0 lead, and SP Alfredo Romero and four relievers combined to hurl a two-hitter, as the Cubs edged the Diamondbacks 3-2 in Arizona Instructional League game action Monday morning at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ.   

The game was called after seven innings of play. 

Cubs Give Giants the Long Ball Treatment at Papago Park

SP Juan Bello tossed three innings of no run / no hit ball and combined with three relievers on a four-hitter, Zyhir Hope singled leading off the game and scored on a bases-loaded 4-6-3 DP, Drew Bowser crushed a towering solo HR in the 2nd, Adan Sanchez and Carter Trice belted back-to-back home runs with two outs in the 4th, and Sanchez, Trice, Bowser (RBI), and Reggie Preciado stroked consecutive singles, Jose Escobar drew a walk with the bases loaded to force-in a run, a third run scored on a 6-4-3 DP, and Zyhir Hope roped a two-out single to right to plate the fourth and final run of the

Rockies Edge Cubs at Talking Stick

Skyler Messinger laced a double and an RBI single and scored a run, Bryant Betancourt and Jesus Bugarin each drilled a two-run single, and Andy Perez singled, walked, stole two bases, and scored two runs, helping the Rockies edge the Cubs 5-4 in Arizona Instructional League game action Tuesday morning on Dust Storm Field at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, east of Scottsdale, AZ.   

Geuri Lubo belted a solo HR and Zyhir Hope reached base four times (two singles, an E-4, and an HBP), stole a base, and scored two runs for the Cubs.   

Cubs Drop D'backs at Sloan Park

Geuri Lubo singled twice, walked, stole a base, scored a run, and drove-in another, Josh Rivera laced an RBI double, and Luis Devers, Alfredo Romero, and Yenrri Rojas combined to hurl a two-hitter, helping the Cubs defeat the Diamondbacks 4-1 in Arizona Instructional League game action Saturday morning at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ. 

The game was called after seven innings of play. 

Here is the abridged box score from the game (Cubs players only): 

AZIL CUBS LINEUP: 
1. Leonel Espinoza, CF: 0-2 (F-8, K, 2-3 SH, F-8 SF, RBI)

D'backs Let Their Sticks Do the Talking at Salt River Fields

Kenny Castillo blasted a three-run HR in the bottom of the 1st, Alexander Benua hammered an RBI triple and scored in the 1st, walked in the 3rd, singled, stole two bases, and scored a run in the 6th, and singled and scored in the 8th, Yerald Nin cracked a bases-loaded bases-clearing double in the 8th, and Juan Aparicio singled twice, walked, stole two bases, and scored a run, as the Diamondbacks scored early and often en route to a 13-5 thrashing of the Cubs in Arizona Instructional League game action Thursday morning on Whirlwind Field at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, east of Scottsd

2023 Cubs AZ Instructional League Roster

2023 CUBS ARIZONA INSTRUCTIONAL LEAGUE ROSTER

LAST UPDATED: 9-12-2023

* bats or throws left 
# bats both  

50 players

NOTE:
Not all players have reported  

PITCHERS: 30 
Juan Bello
* Daniel Brown 
Garrett Brown
Raino Coran (ex-OF) 
Nick Dean 
Luis Devers 
Kenten Egbert
Will Frisch 
* Carlos Garcia
Landon Ginn 
Dominic Hambley
Ty Johnson
Scarlyn Lebron 
Shane Marshall (ex-C)

Cubs Blank Giants st Sloan Park

Christopher Paciolla blasted a two-run home run and Mason McGwire, Branden Noriega, and Luis A. Reyes combined to hurl a two-hit shutout, as the Cubs blanked the Giants 4-0 in Arizona Instructional League game action Tuesday morning at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ.

Here is the abridged box score from the game (Cubs players only):

2020 Cubs Winter Instructs

2020 Cubs Winter Instructs is well underway on the backfields at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa.

Pitchers & catchers reported a week ago, and today was the first "full squad" work-out. 

Rather than inviting 2019 draft picks and recently-signed IFA, the Cubs instead opted to invite mostly older players (including some with significant minor league experience) to instructs this year. (13 of the invitees are eligible to be minor league free-agents post-2020).

Several players & coaches from the Lotte Giants (KBO) are attending Instructs as guests of the Cubs, but it's possible that one or more of the Korean players could end up being acquired by the Cubs at some point. (Ex-Cubs minor league OF, coach, and scout Min-Kyu Sung was hired as GM of the Giants last September). 

2019 Cubs Winter Instructs (Updated 1/22)

2019 Cubs Winter Instructs is well underway on the backfields at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa.

Instructs actually began on January 7th, but the first ten days were spent on Cubs Way orientation & player conditioning and then rain on Tuesday postponed full-scale field activities for another couple of days. 

Recent comments

  • crunch 09/27/2023 - 09:38 pm (view)

    "here's a helmet that fits." - cubs staff

    "naw." - PCA

  • crunch 09/27/2023 - 09:01 pm (view)

    cubs out here forgetting how to play D again...

  • crunch 09/27/2023 - 09:02 pm (view)

    happ finally gets HR #20.  he joins bellinger, morel, suzuki, swanson, and wisdom with 20+ HR.

  • crunch 09/27/2023 - 09:29 pm (view)

    took tailon 5 pitches to give up a HR to the 2nd batter of the game.  phew...

  • crunch 09/27/2023 - 09:59 pm (view)

    candel's back and playing 1st.  tauchman DH'ing...  j.young optioned to AAA...forgot he was here.

  • crunch 09/27/2023 - 09:49 pm (view)

    he's wearing this one for life whether he likes it or not.  you can't pull a brant brown in the last week of the season when it's 4 teams going for 2 playoff spots...especially with your last games going forward vs teams that are 1st place in their division.

    he might as well do whatever it takes to move on because it's part of the drama of this chase for the post-season no matter how the cubs do here on out.

  • Arizona Phil 09/27/2023 - 09:33 pm (view)

    FWIW, the year Brant Brown dropped the fly ball in Milwaukee the Cubs made the playoffs anyway, although they did have to play a tie-breaker play-in game with the Giants at Wrigley Field to get in as the N. L. Wild Card team (there was only one Wild Card team in each league back then)...  

  • Charlie 09/27/2023 - 09:16 pm (view)

    Ron Santo's voice came out of me while watching.

    I am really hoping for a bounce back by Suzuki tonight. That error in that moment could really get in your head -- and unfairly shift the public perception of the player for a long time.

  • Arizona Phil 09/27/2023 - 09:28 pm (view)

    F NOLDARAN: 

    The Cubs have no control with respect to Marcus Stroman or Drew Smyly exercising their player options for 2024. 

    Stroman will get $21M in 2024 if he exercises his player option and Smyly gets $10.5M in 2024 (includes a $2M salary escalator based on IP in 2023) if he exercises his player option (both likely, especially Smyly). 

    Kyle Hendricks has a $16M club option for 2024 or else a $1.5M buy-out, and it remains to be seen if the Cubs will exercise the option (which is really just a $14.5M savings because of the buy-out). I would think the Cubs will exercise the club option, because they can always trade him.  

    Also, the Cubs will be paying performance bonuses post-2023 to Yan Gomes (either $250K or $500K based on games started at catcher) and Smyly ($2M based on IP). Also, Cody Bellinger gets as $1M bonus if he wins N. L. Comeback Player of the Year Award (which is very likely).

    So with the $3M+ in performance bonuses still to be paid, the Cubs 2023 payroll AAV will likely end up just slightly under the 2023 MLB $232M CBT threshold, possibly within $1M (TBD).  

    BTW, as things stand right now it appears that the Cubs will have somewhere in the vicinity of $30M in 2024 salary to spend on additions to the roster (I am presuming that Bellinger will opt-out, that Stroman and Smyly will not opt out, that the Cubs will pick up the club options on Hendricks and Gomes but will not pick-up the club option on Brad Boxberger, and that the Cubs will tender 2024 contracts to only three or four of the arbitration eligible guys -- Steele and Alzolay for sure, probably Merryweather, plus MAYBE Tauchman and/or Leiter), with Nick Burdi, Codi Heuer, Nick Madrigal, and Patrick Wisdom likely to be non-tendered (or traded prior to being non-tendered if another club is interested). 

    However, I suspect that the Cubs will attempt to re-sign Heuer and Burdi -- and Tauchman and/or Leiter if they are non-tendered -- to 2024 minor league contracts with an NRI to Spring Training. Brandon Hughes and Ethan Roberts are not arbitration-eligible but they also are likely to be non-tendered and then the Cubs will attempt to sign them to 2024 minor league contracts with an NRI to Spring Training.

    MLB Contract Tender Day this year is November 17th (the Friday immediately prior to Thanksgiving), so I expect to see a lot of transaction-related activity at that time throughout MLB. 

    However, the deadline to add Rule 5 eligible players to the MLB 40-man roster is PRIOR TO MLB Contract Tender Day, so the Cubs will need to drop as many players from the 40 as roster slots are needed PRIOR TO MLB Contract Tender Day.

    The players presently on the 40 who are most likely to be Designated for Assignment (and outrighted if not claimed) to clear slots on the 40 prior to MLB Contract Tender Day for Rule 5 Draft eligibles would probably be Michael Rucker, Jared Young, Jeremiah Estrada, and Caleb Kilian (in that order), although the Cubs could also just DFA one or more of the players they have  already decided to non-tender and not re-sign (like Madrigal and/or Wisdom, and maybe Leiter and/or Tauchman). 

    At 9 AM (Eastern) on the day after the final game of the World Series (two or three weeks prior to MLB Contract Tender Day) is when unsigned MLB Article XX-B players are automatically declared free-agents (they do NOT have to file, it's automatic), so that's when Bellinger, Boxberger, Candelario, and Fulmer will be removed from the Cubs MLB 40-man roster, and then at 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series is when all players still on a club's MLB 60-day IL (Burdi,  Heuer, Hughes, and Roberts) are automatically reinstated to the 40-man roster.

    So by 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series, the Cubs 40-man roster will likely be full (subtracting free-agents Bellinger, Boxberger, Candelario, and Fulmer, and adding Burdi, Heuer, Hughes, and Roberts back from the 60-day IL). 

    5 PM Eastern on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series is also the point in time when unsigned minor league players eligible to be a post-2023 MLB Rule 9 6YFA are automatically declared free-agents, unless the player is added to the MLB 40-man roster or has signed a 2024 minor league successor contract. This will impact the Cubs with respect to OF Yonathan Perlaza and SS Luis Vazquez (two legit prospects who are eligible to be minor league free-agents post-2023).  

  • Sonicwind75 09/27/2023 - 09:07 pm (view)

    Ron Santo's "ohhhh nooooo" is what immediately came to my mind.